Kia
Kia Cadenza years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2014. Best years: 2016.
The 2014 Kia Cadenza draws the most owner complaints for its age: 105, or 8 for each year on the road, against a median of 4 a year across the 4 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is brake wear (23 reports).
- 105complaints
- 3recall campaigns
- 1model years with a page
Newest report Jul 3, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2014
Most reported: brake wear (23 reports, median 55,000 miles) and windshield (13 reports, median 50,000 miles).
Best years
2016
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2014 has the most complaints of any Kia Cadenza year here: 105 of 105 (100%).
- Problem across the years
- Brake wear is the top problem in every model year with a page, 23 reports in all. Pooled across the years, half of the 11 owners who gave a mileage for brake wear were under about 55,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 9% of Kia Cadenza complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
- Recalls on the top problem
- Every model year where owners report brake wear also has a recall on the same system. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2024 at 21 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 7. So far in 2026, 1 more has come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: HJUdall, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2015 (47), 2016 (14), 2017 (32).
Year by year
2014 Kia Cadenza avoid
105 owner complaints, 8 for each year on the road (2.3 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (23 reports, median 55,000 miles), windshield (13 reports, median 50,000 miles) and engine failure (10 reports). 2 reports involved a crash and 7 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 23V-652 on the brakes and 22V-158 on the visibility.
Questions
What Kia Cadenza years should you avoid?
The 2014 Kia Cadenza draws the most owner complaints for its age: 105, or 8 for each year on the road, against a median of 4 a year across the 4 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is brake wear (23 reports).
What are the best years for the Kia Cadenza?
The 2016 draws the fewest complaints for its age: 14, or 1 for each year on the road. Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Kia Cadenza?
Brake wear, with 23 reports across the 1 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2014.
How many recalls does the Kia Cadenza have?
3 recall campaigns cover the Kia Cadenza model years 2014 on this site.
How many Kia Cadenza complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
9% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
Is there a recall for brake wear on the Kia Cadenza?
Yes, on every model year where owners report it.